


Nervous

by mc_writer



Series: Nobody Compares [3]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 21:07:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8224829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mc_writer/pseuds/mc_writer
Summary: Liam tries to figure out how he feels about Zayn and how to tell him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> There’s absolutely nothing to this and it’s mostly rubbish. It was really just an excuse to write Liam and Zayn kissing. And Lilo friendship. 
> 
> Also, I was listening to Gavin James’ Nervous (and you should too!) and this came to mind.
> 
> Another thing: If you have a song that screams "Ziam" to you (at least the kind of Ziam that's in this), please let me know. I love working off of songs!

Summer was almost over.

Of course, when you were a surf instructor who lived in Hawaii, the season itself didn’t really mean that much.

But, summer brought the crowds, the people who wanted to get away from boring desk jobs, intrigued by the idea of an island adventure.

In Liam’s case, the summer brought Zayn.

And Liam wasn’t sure that he wanted to give him back when summer ended.

It had started out simply enough. Louis and Harry had set Zayn up for surf lessons with Liam. Zayn had been like so many of his other students - not quite sold on the idea of paddling out into the sea to be bombarded by waves. True, surfing looked a lot easier than it actually was. But, Liam was a good teacher. And he had Zayn out there catching waves on the very first day.

It turned out Zayn had something to teach Liam too.

But, it wasn’t like kissing boys was so very different.

Except that it sort of was.

And Liam wasn’t sure if he was ready to let his teacher go.

The surf shop was uncharacteristically quiet. Liam sat at his desk, riffling through the pages of a catalogue for surfboards that he thought were much too expensive, but that Louis insisted would catch the eye of a more “discerning clientele.” Louis said a lot of shit sometimes, but he owned the shop and was therefore the boss, so Liam didn’t protest. Much. It was always easier to let Louis get his way anyway.

“Penny for ‘em, Payno,” Louis nudged him with his foot.

“What?”

Louis rolled his eyes. “You’ve been sitting there staring at the same surfboard for at least ten minutes. You’ve obviously got something on your mind.”

Liam shook his head and shrugged. “No. Not really. I mean...nothing important.”

“Please. On a normal day, you’d be ragging on me about why we need to order hipster, designer surfboards and you’d have chosen exactly one from that catalogue and say you were done.” Louis shook his head. “So, excuse me, Liam, if I say it’s pretty obvious you’ve got something on your mind.”

Liam grinned, sheepish. “It’s stupid. You’ll just take the piss.”

Louis considered this statement carefully and nodded slowly. “I probably will. But, that’s alright, Payno. That’s how we work,” he said, gesturing between the two of them.

Liam shook his head. Louis was right. And he wouldn’t stop until Liam told him, so he might as well.

“It’s about Zayn.”

“Ahhh.”

They were silent for a moment.

“I guess I have to tell you that Harry is pretty worried about you,” Louis said.

Liam lifted his eyes to Louis’ piercing blue ones. “He should be. This is his fault entirely.”

Louis laughed, high and sharp. “I’ll tell him that. But, seriously, I can’t let him take all the blame. I was part of the plan.”  
  
“The plan to what exactly?”

Louis flung his arms around aimlessly. “Get you out of your shell! Get you to meet someone new! Have fun!”

Liam sighed. Then smiled. If that had been the plan, it had definitely worked. He would never have spoken to Zayn on his own, would never have thought to approach him if he hadn’t been a student.

And if he hadn’t, he would never have realized what he was missing.

Because Zayn was so different from anyone he’d ever known before.

Different in a good way. Zayn saw exactly who he was--a lad from Wolverhampton, who tried doing what everyone expected him to do, but ended up somewhere he never expected and was just trying to figure it all out--and accepted it.

It wasn’t just the kissing.

But it was that too.

Because Zayn touched Liam like he was constantly amazed by him, like he wanted to know everything there was to know about Liam. Like there was nothing about Liam that he wouldn’t love. Because when Zayn kissed him, he was careful but also wanting, and there was something about that that drove Liam slightly crazy.

“Have you told him?” Louis asked, his voice soft.

“Told him what?” Liam asked, stubborn and stupid.

“How you feel?”

Well. How exactly was Liam supposed to tell Zayn how he felt when he wasn’t sure what that was exactly?  
  
“What am I supposed to tell him, Lou? Hi, Zayn, I think you’re beautiful? I’ve never felt like this about anybody before--girl or boy--and you make me nervous?”

Louis nodded, like it was obvious. “Exactly.”

Liam laughed, despite the fact that he didn’t think it was funny at all.

“Better figure it out fast, Li. You don’t want to wait until it’s too late,” Louis said, nudging him and tilting his chin to where Harry and Zayn were making their way to the door.

Seeing Zayn still somehow took Liam by surprise. It wasn’t just the sharp angles of his jaw, or the softness in his eyes, or the way the afternoon sun on his skin made Liam ache to touch it, just to find out if he was as warm as he looked.

It was the way Zayn looked back at him, like he knew exactly what Liam was feeling and felt it too.

“Louuu…” Harry sang out, catching Louis’ hand with his long fingers. “Zayn and I got so many good pictures!”

“Let’s see then,” Louis pat the space next to him and Harry crowded into him, their two heads bent over the camera Harry held in his hands.

“Don’t you want to see what I got?” Zayn asked Liam, softly, teasing.

Liam nodded and made space for Zayn on the bench, but Zayn shook his head and tugged on Liam’s sleeve.

“Outside.”

Louis looked up from the camera and watched as they left the room and sat on the screened porch of the store. Harry noticed and looked out the screen at Zayn and Liam as well.

“Did Liam say anything?” Harry asked.

Louis shrugged. “He’s nervous.”

“‘Course he is.”

“What about Zayn?”

“Same.”

Louis sighed. “What to do with these boys?”

Harry leaned into Louis. “We were in the same place not too long ago.”

Louis leaned back slightly to look at Harry’s face. “Lucky thing we figured it out.”

“And they will too.”

Outside, Zayn flopped onto his belly, squinted up at Liam and tapped a finger on his ankle. “Aren’t you going to join me?”

Liam smiled and lowered himself until he was lying beside Zayn. “So, where are these amazing pictures?”

Zayn turned on the camera’s display and held it out in front of them, scrolling through the photos in silence.

“What do you think?” Zayn said, turning to him, tongue caught between his teeth.

Liam took a deep breath. He was glad he was lying down, because he was certain that his knees would give way otherwise. He hadn’t planned on this, but, there were moments that deserved the truth.

 _Everything_ , Liam thought.

_Like, this was the best summer of my life. Like, I wish I could hold on to every moment with you, but I don’t know if that’s even possible. Like, I don’t know what I’m going to do when you go._

_Like, I haven’t told you this, but you make me the happiest._ __  
  
Like, I think maybe it’s love. 

But, Liam didn’t quite know how to say all of that. So he settled for something simpler, that was still the truth.

“You’re amazing.”

Zayn’s smiled and he leaned forward to catch Liam’s lips with his.

“‘S not what I meant though…” Zayn murmured.

Liam sighed. “Yeah. I know. But...if I didn’t tell you that now, I don’t know if I’d be able to say it again.”

“You’re a donut. Why?” Zayn bumped Liam’s shoulder with his.

“I don’t know. You look at me and I get nervous. I forget what I was going to say.”

Zayn was smiling at him now, and it was all too much really, so Liam gently rolled Zayn onto his back and kissed him, hoping it would say everything he couldn’t.

Louis was right. Liam would have to figure out what to tell Zayn before it was too late.

But right now?

It was enough have Zayn’s lips under his, chests pressed together, one of Zayn’s hands curled around the back of his neck, the other clutching at the bottom of his shirt, and the last of the summer sun on their skin.

Summer was almost over.

But Liam felt like he and Zayn were just beginning.


End file.
